All Star Analysts Portfolio: BJ Services, Citigroup, Michaels Stores and Proctor & Gamble.Business Editors CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2003 Zacks.com just released its latest additions and deletions to the coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. All Star Analyst portfolio. This exclusive portfolio represents all stocks with a Strong Buy rating from at least five analysts with a 5 Star All Star ranking. These are the brokerage analysts whose stock recommendations proved to be the most profitable for investors. Four current members of the list are: BJ Services Company BJ Services Company (NYSE: BJS) is a Fortune 500 oil and gas equipment and services company with its headquarters located in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1872 as the Byron Jackson Company by inventor Byron Jackson. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :BJS Noun 1. BJS - the agency in the Department of Justice that is the primary source of criminal justice statistics for federal and local policy makers Bureau of Justice Statistics ), Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C), Michaels Stores, Inc. (NYSE:MIK MIK More in Kitchen ) and The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG). View the entire list of stocks on the All Star Analyst portfolio at http://asaportfolio.zacks.com Here is a synopsis of why these stocks are on the All Star Analysts Portfolio: BJ Services Company (NYSE:BJS) is a leading provider of pressure pumping and other oilfield services serving the petroleum industry worldwide. BJ Services' industry hasn't been the most energetic of late, but the company stated that the long hoped for drilling rig activity increase in the U.S. began to materialize during its fiscal second quarter. BJS reported net income of $49.5 million, or 31 cents per share Cents per share The amount of a mutual fund's dividend or capital gains distributions that a shareholder will receive for each share owned. for its third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2003. This managed to beat the Street's estimates by a penny and was on the upper end of the company's guidance. Operating income Operating Income The profit realized from a business' own operations. Notes: This would not include income from things such as investments in other firms. Also referred to as operating profit or recurring profit. margins improved to +13.9% from +13.4% in the second fiscal quarter and +10.1% reported in the prior year's third quarter, due primarily to increased margins from the Company's US/Mexico operations. With a positive outlook for the future, several top All Star analysts are recommending BJS to their clients. Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C) is one of the most diversified financial The diversified financial services segment includes a range of consumer and commercially-oriented companies offering a wide variety of products and services, including various lending products (such as home equity loans and credit cards), insurance, and securities and investment institutions in the world, which is probably why top All Star Analysts are recommending Citigroup as a long-term buy. Citigroup reported net income for the three months ended June 30, 2003 of $4.3 billion. Income from continuing operations continuing operations Parts of a business that are expected to be maintained as an ongoing segment of an overall business operation. Income and losses from continuing operations are reported separately if any segments have been discontinued during the was also $4.3 billion, which was a +12% increase over the prior year period and a record for the company. Net income rose +5% over the net income of the second quarter of 2002, which included the operating income from Travelers Property Casualty, which was subsequently spun off to shareholders. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) A PostScript file format used to transfer a graphic image between applications and platforms. EPS files contain PostScript code as well as an optional preview image in TIFF, WMF, PICT or EPSI, the latter being an ASCII-only format. was 83 cents per share, which beat the Street by 4 cents. For the first six months of 2003, Citigroup's income from continuing operations increased +15% to $8.40 billion, or $1.64 per share. Citigroup has an exceptionally strong competitive position, and with the markets moving upward Citigroup is in a great position. Since lows in March, the stock has been on the rise and looks to be going strong after a slight pull back. Michaels Stores, Inc. (NYSE:MIK) is one of the nation's largest national retailers dedicated to serving the arts, crafts and decorative items marketplace. Michaels reported that total sales for the month of June increased +7% to $225.5 million from $210.2 million for the same period last year. Same- store sales for the month were up +2%. Both traffic and average ticket increased +1% for the month. Year-to-date, total sales increased +8% to $1.069 billion while same-store sales Same-store sales is a business term which refers to the revenue generated by one of a retail chain's specific outlets during a certain period of time (often a fiscal quarter or a particular shopping season), compared to an identical period in the past, usually in the previous year. were up +2%. The company currently expects same-store sales for the month of July and for the second quarter to be flat to up +2% and their second quarter diluted earnings per share diluted earnings per share An earnings measure calculated by dividing net income less preferred stock dividends for a period by the average number of shares of common stock that would be outstanding if all convertible securities were converted into shares of to be in the 32 to 36-cent range. Since March, niche play Michaels has managed to improve its situation greatly and has been up over +90% since. All Star analysts have taken notice that retail is beginning to pull itself out of its slump. Investors looking to spruce up spruce up Verb [sprucing, spruced] to make neat and smart Verb 1. spruce up - make neat, smart, or trim; "Spruce up your house for Spring"; "titivate the child" their returns should consider Michaels Stores. The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) manufactures and markets a broad range of consumer products in many countries throughout the world. The company recently confirmed that earnings for the April to June 2003 quarter should be at the high end of the prior guidance range. These results are driven by solid organic volume and sales growth and gross margin improvements. Earlier this month, PG declared an increase in the annual rate of its common stock and Series A ESOP ESOP See: Employee Stock Ownership Plan ESOP See Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Convertible Preferred Stock Convertible Preferred Stock Preferred stock that includes an option for the holder to convert the preferred shares into a fixed number of common shares, usually anytime after a predetermined date. Also known as "convertible preferred shares". dividend from $1.64 to $1.82 per share. In line with this action, P&G directors declared an increase in the quarterly dividend on both its common stock and Series A ESOP Convertible Preferred Stock from $0.41 to $.0455 per share, payable on or after August 15, 2003 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 18, 2003. With its core businesses and leading brands remaining strong, several top All Star analysts are recommending PG. They also believe that PG will deliver on its fiscal year sales and earnings goals even during a challenging environment. PG looks to be headed in the right direction and taking investors with them. Discover all the current All Star Analyst rankings and top analyst recommendations at http://allstarrank.zacks.com About Zacks All Star Analyst Survey Do you want to know which brokerage analysts are the best in their field and what stocks they're recommending today? Find out with the Zacks All Star Analyst survey. This exclusive survey, created with Fortune Magazine, reveals the "Best-of-Breed" brokerage analysts. They are the select group of winners from the universe of brokerage analysts - the ones who consistently beat the street - the few you should be following now. Visit the Zacks All Star Survey to find the best analysts and their top stock recommendations at http://bestofbreed.zacks.com Top recommendations from All Star Analysts Highlighted in FREE Investment Newsletter Each week, Zacks.com highlights investment insight and favorite recommendations from All Star Analysts and other leading investment experts. This is all part of our FREE e-mail newsletter, "Profit from the Pros." The only way to get these powerful insights is with a FREE subscription to the "Profit from the Pros" investment newsletter. 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